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WEEK 11: GOD-CENTEREDNESS
 

 
Memory Verse for Week 11 
Matthew 6:33 “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” 

     2 Peter 1: 6 says to your knowledge, add temperance.  Temperance is self-control, and this week we will look at denying self and putting Christ first.. 

Read Revelation 4:11.  Why were we created? _________________________ 

Read Philippians 2: 10-11.  Who will one day bow before Jesus and confess that He is Lord?_______________________________________________________   

Read Mark 12:30.  What is the first and greatest commandment?

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 Read John 14:15.  What will we do if we love Him? 

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Read Psalm 9:1.  What are we to do with our whole heart? 

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Solomon was a great king who spent his whole life in the pursuit of fulfillment through pleasure, wine, wealth, power, and women.  In the end he concluded all these were meaningless.  Read Ecclesiastes 12: 13-14.  After a life long search, what two things did Solomon conclude were the whole duty or purpose of man? _______________________________________________________________________

Read Matthew 5:16.  We are to let our light shine so men will see our good works.  Why? _______________________________________________________________________

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    We were created for God’s pleasure, to love Him, honor Him, praise Him, glorify Him, fear and obey Him.  These are the very reasons we exist.

    But as a result of Adam and Eve’s sin, the whole human race became self-centered instead of God-centered.  The Bible calls this living after the flesh, or being carnally minded.  This means we think about pleasing ourselves instead of pleasing God.   It means relying on  “self” instead of relying on God.  It is trusting in ourselves rather than trusting in God.  It  is desiring praise and recognition for ourselves, rather than for God.  It is independent living, self-sufficiency, looking out for “Old Number One.”  It is desire to do things our own way, instead of God’s way.  God calls this “sin” and rebellion! (Isaiah 53:6) 

  Read Luke 9:23.  What did Jesus say we must do to follow Him?

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      To be followers of Christ, we must deny ourselves and our sinful impulses to please, trust in and depend on ourselves.  We must learn to  and trust in, depend on, and be obedient to Christ!   

Read Romans 15:3.  Did Christ try to please Himself? ______________________________________________________________________ 

Read Romans 15:6.  Instead of pleasing ourselves, we are to please others.  Why?_________________________________________________________________

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Read Luke 12: 21-22.  Are we supposed to lay up treasures for ourselves and try to take care of our own lives? ______________________________________________________________________ 

Read Luke 12:23-32. According to verse 31, what are we supposed to do instead of caring for ourselves? ______________________________________________________________________

According to verse 32, what will God gladly do when we seek Him first?  _____________________________________________________________________ 

     The world will tell you that hard work and education is what it takes to be successful.  But God says we do not have to make our own way or create our own success.  The Bible tells us listening to God’s guidance, obeying Him, and trusting in Him is what makes a person a success!   

    God knows that we can't truly love and serve Him and others if we're consumed with trying to meet our own needs.  When we surrender, when we learn to abide, trust, depend on God, then we are free be used of God to help others.  In surrender, we realize God takes care of us and we trust Him to do so.  We can use the extra time, energy, money and effort previously spent taking care of “self” and spend ourselves on loving and serving God and others.     

    And when we realize that God will handle other people, then we are free to love them no matter how they treat us, trusting in Him to provide love in our hearts for them, trusting in Him to shield us from or sustain us through the hurt others can bring us.   

Read Matthew 6:33.  What are two things are we to seek?

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    The kingdom of God is in our hearts.  When we seek God’s kingdom, we seek to allow Him to rule and reign in our hearts.  “…the divine spiritual kingdom, the glorious reign of the Messiah”  (Zodhiates, 1992)  

    When we seek His righteousness, this means conformity to the higher authority of God and is opposite of lawlessness.  Man in his natural, fallen condition tends to accept his own set of standards, creating his own righteousness. We “do what is right in our own eyes.”  A horrible time in the history of Israel is recorded in the book of Judges, when “In those days there was no king in Israel, everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”  They had no king—no one to tell them what was right or wrong, and they worshiped idols and did whatever else they wanted to do.  In our society today we believe we can do whatever we want to do, but God calls many things “sin” that we have justified today.  
 

When We Seek God First, He Fills Us With Joy 

Read Psalm 31:23.  When we love the Lord, what does He do for us?

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Read Psalm 63:1-3.  Why do we hunger and thirst for the Lord? 

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Read Psalm 16:11.  When we seek the Lord and His path for our lives, what will we find in His presence?

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  Read Psalm 145:16 and 19-20.  What does the Lord do for those that love Him and fear Him? _____________________________________________________________________

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 Write Matthew 6:33 from memory.

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 DENYING SELF

           Instead of loving ourselves most, we must be willing to love  
     Christ best and to love others more than ourselves. The moment 
     we do something either for God or others that costs us something,
     we are expressing love. Love is “self-lessness” or “self-sacrifice,”
     which is the opposite of selfishness. And instead of insisting on
     “our rights” we are willing to forego them in favor of others (Keller,
     1970, p. 63).

         The Bible is full of plenty of practical advice on how to deny or
      put to death our flesh (self-centeredness) and surrender to God.
      And it is advice completely opposite to our human natures
      (remember, our human natures are our sinful, self-centered
      natures!) It makes no sense to our (carnal or fleshly) physical
      aspect but O!....in the spiritual realm this is the way things
      operate!  Let's look at a few:

 

  • Matt. 7:12--"Do unto others as you would have them do

                      unto you.

  • Mark 9:35--"...if any man desire to be first, the same shall

                      be last of all , and servant of all.

  • Luke 9:48--"...for he that is least among you all, the same

                      shall be great."

  • Acts 20: 35--"...the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more

                      blessed to give than to receive."

  • Matt. 5:39--"...whosoever shall smite thee on thy right

                      cheek, turn to him the other also."

  • Matt. 5:44--"But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless

                     them that curse you, do good to them that hate

                     you, and pray for them which despitefully use you,

                     and persecute you;"

  • Luke 14:26-27--"If any man come to me, and hate not

                     his....own life also, he cannot be my disciple.  And

                     whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after

                     me, cannot be my disciple."

  • Matt. 22:39--"...Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself."

  • Luke 4:11—“Whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased."

     We cannot learn to put God and others before ourselves within
   our own power--we must surrender to God and allow Him to   
   develop these traits in us.                                                                                                                                                                                        

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*All emphasis  mine.

Copyright ©2005 by Mae Shurow and seekgodfirst.net
Permission is granted for non-commercial (free) distribution 
provided this notice is included as citation.

___________________________________
Keller, P.  (1970).The Inspirational Writings: A Layman Looks at the Lord's Prayer. New York, NY: Inspirational Press, p. 63.
 Zodhiates, S. 2000, c1992, c1993. The complete word study dictionary : New Testament.. AMG Publishers: Chattanooga, TN